Ben Lee: The Rebirth of Venus

BEN LEEIndie-pop darling nosedives into
deep-end issues on seventh albumAussie crooner Ben Lee has been
steadily releasing sticky-sweet indie pop since age 14. Now 30, the
singer/songwriter is all grown up. His marriage to actress Ione Skye
gained him a stepdaughter and brand new band member (the child plays
pots and pans on the opener, the album’s best track), and his new
family’s presence is resoundingly felt. While Lee has tiptoed onto
the verge of message music before, fatherhood has clearly awakened
his outlook on life as he steers away from heartbreak tunes, instead
concentrating on our problem-fraught world (“Wake Up to America,”
“I Love Pop Music”) and his feminine side (“I’m a Woman Too,”
“Boy with a Barbie”). While Lee’s preachy lyrics often feel
forced and rarely reach beneath the surface of the issues, the man
known for homespun sing-alongs retains his catchy strumming and
perfect blend of sweet and funny musings, making it difficult not to
root for him.Listen to tracks from Ben Lee's The Rebirth of Venus on his MySpace page.